On 17 April, the European Union will host a high-level conference in Munich to define a roadmap for the future of GMES, Europe's Global Monitoring for Environment and Security initiative. The GMES programme is vital for Europe and is ensuring independent access to information relating to the environment, climate change and security. ESA's Volker Liebig says GMES activities are already yielding practical results and in the future even more benefits are expected for European citizens.